Sylvia Holder first met Venkat on the beach at Kovalam 18 years ago. The bright but very poor 12-year old boy asked her for £10 for his next year’s school fees, which his family couldn’t afford to pay. On the spur of the moment she offered to put him through school and university – a challenge he seized with delight and enthusiasm.
They kept in close touch over the years. Venkat proved to be a hard-working student, who did well at school. He went on to graduate from Madras (Chennai ) University and later, with a loan from Sylvia, to set up his own business.
Then, at the age of 27, just when his future looked bright and all his efforts were beginning to show results for him and his family, he was killed in a road accident.
Determined that something positive should come out of Venkat’s untimely death, she decided to set up the Venkatraman Memorial Trust. In February 2004 she went back to Kovalam with friends, to see how best to help the village in the form of a lasting memorial to this courageous young man.
It was not a difficult decision. The local primary school, the Panchayat Union Middle School, was ill equipped, over-crowded and under staffed. By giving support to this school, the Trust hopes to give the children of Kovalam the best possible start to their education, and the chance to develop their full potential.
Sylvia Holder
Anna Dickie
Lindsay Swan
Emma Watters
The team in India:
We have a fantastic team in India. Venkat's brother Janakiraman is Mr Fix-it, who manages to get the best deals and he is ably assisted by Venkat's schoolfriend Ali.
